Category Archives: Announcements

Upon catching up with the news via Twitter, among all the other amazing things happening yesterday, news came that Animeigo’s ambitious Blu-ray Kickstarter had ended to incredible success. More than excited to hear that the final numbers absolutely crushed the proposed $40,000 goal with a whopping $102,869, the upcoming release plans will likely live up to and beyond initial promise. And now that the initial crowdfunding leg of this particular tour is at an end, Paypal will be open to those late to the party. Sure, goodies that were set up for those who participated won’t be available, but do not feel too left out. The hallowed Secret Master Of Otakudom edition is jam packed with celebratory sweetness for even the most pokey of supernerds.

The recent Japanese release contains not only a lovely transfer, but also an all-new commentary track featuring Shoji Murahama, Kikuko Inoue, Hiroyuki Yamaga, & Yuki Sato. The Animeigo release also promises an english commentary track by none other than Gilles Poitras!

All these bells, whistles, and glory for what exactly? Well in case you’ve been on these intarnutz over the last two decades (strangely an equivalent to being under a huge rock), Gainax’s Otaku No Video remains a poignant, and often self-effacing document on an era of anime fandom that deserves remembrance. And while we certainly have evolved into forms far beyond in that short span of time, the roots remain as relevant, and possibly as dangerous – as ever. For those with a need for that added nudge, please read.

We are proud to announce that on Wednesday, May 29, 7-9 PM, we will be taking part in Lacoste’s NYC launch party for their new Osamu Tezuka inspired clothing and shoe line! Gendomike will be giving a half hour talk about Tezuka, the history of anime and manga in America, and the influence it’s had on culture (including clothing and fashion).

We’re really excited about this, and we invite everyone to come, especially our East Coast and NYC fans! Again, this it’s Wednesday night, at Lacoste’s Soho Boutique on 541 Broadway, New York City:

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I’m pleased to announce the official opening of Anime Diet Games, a dedicated branch of the site dedicated to video games of all kinds! While we’ll always have a special focus on Japanese pop culture, we’ll be expanding into the rest of the gaming universe too with this new section. Of course, if you go to the section now, you’ll see that we’ve always talked about games every once in a while. But now we’ve decided to pick up our controllers and mash some buttons, so we can cover gaming with the same professionalism and brio that we’ve done with conventions, anime, and manga.

As for me—I wrote years ago that it was JRPGs that actually brought me into anime fandom, not the other way around. Perhaps some of you have had the same experience. We’ve already written about games like Final Fantasy XIII, Eternal Sonata, Alteil, and Skullgirls, and even have footage of Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu. The gaming culture is tightly linked to the rest of things we’ve always covered, and it’ll give us a chance to talk in depth about things that matter to fans and otaku outside of just the shows and the cons we watch and attend. (And those cons: the gaming cons, from E3 to PAX, are now on our radars!)

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EDIT (6/20/2011): new round of voting has started! Please vote for us right over here. Thanks!

Why hello Internet sailors. :) Welcome to our site. Perhaps because you came here through a certain Aniblog Tourney that we’re competing in today. If so, we’re glad you’re considering us for one of your two votes in the Group Round. We hope you like what you find here and humbly ask for your vote alongside one for our fine colleagues at Emory University, Shinde Iie, and Anime B&B.

But if you need a taste of our work first, here’s a sampling of some of our best over our six year life. We hope you enjoy it.

Editorial blogging is our bread and butter. We’ve always been strong at editorials, analysis, and other non-review pieces. Some of them were controversial, and others were reflective and personal. More recently some of our best writing has been in the more confessional, “Diary of an Anime Lived” mode.

Reviewing anime is of course crucial to who we are. While we’re not a true episodic blog (though we are currently covering every Lupin III: Fujiko Mine episode, and have done all of Code Geass R2 and most of Claymore), we have reviewed plenty of TV series, OAVs, and films over the years. Here’s a few of the best ones.

We have had the immense privilege of interviewing, transcribing, and otherwise being in the presence of numerous Guests of Honor at conventions since late 2007. The list of names says it all—and this isn’t even all of them.

Our convention coverage has always been backed up by video, whether it’s of video diaries in the early days or interview and concert footage. Check out our Youtube and Vimeo channels for the rest! This is a tiny excerpt.

Anime Expo 2007 Video Diaries
These were the videos that started it all: a fan diary that became an accidental expose of the mishaps of AX 2007. Taken without press access, we’ll never be this innocent again :)

May’n Concert Footage (AX 2010)Part of the concert that later included Megumi Nakajima and surprise guest Yoko Kanno. Our most popular video! (and check out Monsieur LaMoe’s ecstatic review too. He shot this video.)

Kenji Kamiyama and company on Eden of the EastPerhaps one of the most insightful interviews in our collection, in which Kamiyama discusses his intent in depth for Eden of the East and Ghost in the Shell.

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A relative newcomer to US anime distribution, game company NIS America kicked off the Anime Expo industry panels this year with a trailer to their new show Arakawa: Under the Bridge. PR Manager Nao Zook with special guests Director of Localization Eugene Chen, and Producer Mitsu Hiraoka hosted the panel. Chen and Hiraoka both arrived in costume as characters from the Arakawa: Under the Bridge.

The panelists spoke about the video issues and delays they experienced on some of their first releases, like Toradora and Persona Trinity Soul, saying they have fixed any such issues for future releases and that they have worked very hard to improve on quality. “It has been a learning experience,” said Hiraoka. The panelist discussed on how the focus has shifted to quality taking precedence over the creativity of their releases (i.e. fancy box sets with bonus art books and the like), though they acknowledged that these extra perks are the driving force to purchase the NIS products. This was followed by a trailer for their release of Katana Gatari.

Their direction for the future will be 100% quality for all their anime and video game products, with an emphasis on value over price. “We put all of our energy and passion into our products,” Hiraoka said. They also said there are currently no plans to dub any of their anime titles and that this decision is purely for financial reasons. Simply, they would dump all of their profits into hiring voice talent for the dub. Subtitles are much easier to make a profit on, and doing voiceover may be an unnecessary risk in the current anime market. The third preview trailer was shown for Wagnaria (Working!!).

The panel discussed what they look for when licensing titles. Basically, they want story driven and silly titles. “We are very sincere to be silly,” Hiraoka said. Also they look to be the Anti-Fan Service option, though this slide was accompanied by some very cheesecakey images from other NIS titles like Our Home’s Fox Deity. A brand new trailer for the previously unannounced acquisition for Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera was then shown, but given no firm date of release.

Chen went on to describe the three different kinds of localization approaches NIS America uses when translating their titles, with video examples of each. This was followed by a Q&A from fans. One fan asked if popularity in Japan influenced what titles NIS considered licensing for US release, to which the answer was no. Another fan asked about Blu-Ray releases to which Chen replied that if they can get the Blu-ray license for their titles they would definitely consider it. After the Q&A, one final surprise trailer was shown for the previously unannounced Kimi Ni Todoke which will be available in October.

Three weeks ago, Anime Diet was seized by Kyubey in a hostile takeover, in order to drive innocent girls to make Puella Magi contracts. We all know the tragic consequences of these devilish deals and it was only through great effort and struggle that the site was restored to normal.

And now that all is once again right with the world, we wish to honor all the fallen souls by listing the best wishes that were made. They reflect the hopes and dreams of people, the aspirations that would cause someone to give everything up. We must remember them.

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Most of you are no doubt aware of the tragic situation happening in Japan. If you want to help out, please join us with the growing list of anime and manga bloggers in joining Daniella of allaboutmanga‘s drive to raise money for Doctors Without Borders and Shelterbox. Both charities are well-regarded and are already on the ground in Japan, doing their essential work for the people who need it most. Please help especially if you are a blogger yourself: spread the word on Twitter, Facebook, and other networks too! As a community, this is our moment to band together and give back to the country whose culture has enriched our lives so much.

Keep checking the site as there will be many updates to come in the next few days! Let me or Daniella know, or leave a comment on the guestbook if you are a blogger that has donated, so we can add you to the honor roll.

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Welcome to the latest incarnation of Anime Diet! This is the sixth major revision of the website since its founding as Scattered Cels in late 2006, though the last one was more of an evolutionary upgrade. This one is a bit more radical, as you can see. We hope that things are a bit less cluttered and more clear with this new, clean layout, which is based on Maimpok by Padd Solutions.

One of the beneficial side effects has been that many bloggers have received constructive comments. We welcome those as well, in our comments section as well as on the relevant page at the Tourney site.

The Anime Diet State of the Union Address

As Anime Diet enters its third year, I’m reminded of the tracks that we have carved in the history of anime fandom. As fellow anime lovers, or otakus, if you so dare, we have been fighting. Yes, fighting. Just as you have struggled through the last decade engaged in mortal combat with changes, finance issues, work, school, relationships, and any other seemingly trivial but strong foes. You have waged war with the enemies with all your heart, your might and your strength, and at the end of the grueling match, you have come out on top, and that’s why you’re reading and hearing this. I congratulate you for your bravery and resourcefulness in managing social upheavals as well as other concerns that have been of the utmost importance in your lives. As for us,